Dadaji Kahein, a performance written and directed by Om Katare, opened at Prithvi this Thursday. An interactive children's play, the audience response left Katare, who plays Dadaji, pleased.
Dadaji Kahein, a performance written and directed by Om Katare, opened at Prithvi this Thursday. An interactive children's play, the audience response left Katare, who plays Dadaji, pleased. "The performance invites 10 children on stage, and as they gather around, Dadaji narrates the story to them and his grandson.
Instead of 10 kids, we had 25 of them rushing up, and after interval, a dozen more wanted to be a part of the group."
Dadaji Kahein is a play about an old colonel who buys a haunted haveli, determined to stand up to the ghosts rumoured to live inside it. When he chides the ghosts for trying to scare him, they approach the Master Ghost who sends them on a mission to find out what humans are really afraid of. They come back with answers ranging from pollution to terrorism, drug addiction to meaningless popular music.u00a0
By using a grandparent as the story-teller, Katare tries not to sound preachy. "The children won't listen if we lecture them," he says. But he did try to avoid simplifying the content. "A lot of questions were raised about why I was bringing up negative issues. Young kids must know what awaits them in future. The performance allows them to distinguish right from wrong," Katare said in defence.
Next at: Prithvi Theatre, 20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road. On: June 6, 11 am and June 11 and 12, 11 am
Tickets: Rs 150. Call: 26149546
